


I'm Here

by cndyprfumegirl



Series: You Are My Home [4]
Category: Demet Ozdemir, Dogdugun Ev Kaderindir, Ibrahim Celikkol, Turkish Dizi - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23238604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cndyprfumegirl/pseuds/cndyprfumegirl
Relationships: Zeynep Goksu/Mehdi Karaca
Series: You Are My Home [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1670797
Kudos: 2





	I'm Here

Episode 4 Spec

Zeynep sat in the back of the taxi that took her closer to Faruk and farther from Mehdi with every passing mile and looked down at the simple gold wedding band she still wore. She remembered Mehdi telling her to put it back on and not take it off again when he drove her to school. At the time, his request had aggravated her, but she had obeyed. She didn't want to make things harder for him; she knew her behavior had already forced him into the difficult position of defending her to his family.

She acknowledged that Mehdi wasn't at fault in this travesty she'd found herself in. Aside from his show of temper at the wedding, he'd been good to her and he had no idea of the long, twisted history behind why she'd said yes to him. He'd married her in good faith, thinking it was what she wanted, thinking they could make it work, even if it started as a marriage of convenience. She'd agreed after he'd already let it go, after all. He never pressured her; on the contrary, he made her feel that he accepted whatever decision she made and didn't force her to explain.

Yet still she'd left him.

She slid the ring off of her finger and rolled it between her thumb and forefinger, watching the reflection from the passing street lights glint off of the shiny metal. She wondered for the millionth time if she'd done the right thing by leaving Mehdi to accept Faruk's offer.

This wasn't her idea--Mehdi had filed for divorce. He was hurt by her lie about her relationship with Faruk, but she knew that wasn't why he'd presented her with divorce papers. He'd made it clear that he was giving her a way out, and that he wouldn't ask her to leave if she wanted to stay, but he wouldn't force her to stay if she wanted to leave.

Even though she knew why he did it, the rejection stung. She hadn't expected anything less; her life was a series of rejections. Leaving Mehdi put her back in the same place she was before they'd gotten married. Where would her parents go? They'd lost the house she was born in, and they had no means to secure another. Faruk made things easy when he took control and offered her an escape. He said he loved her, and she knew she'd be taken care of if she went away with him. He promised to take care of her parents too, and she believed him. She tried to push out of her mind the fact that he hadn't once asked her what she wanted, and that he'd effectively threatened Mehdi and his family when she told him she hadn't yet talked to Mehdi about dissolving the marriage.

She accepted his offer because she felt she had no choice, and now the pendulum swung toward the mother who'd raised her and away from the one she was born to.

She accepted his offer, but she felt uneasy.

Her phone rang, and when she pulled it out of her purse and looked at the caller ID, she raised an eyebrow in surprise. Mehdi's sister, Cemile, was calling. She worried that something bad might have happened with her mother, so she answered.

"Efendim?" she said.

"Zeynep! I'm so glad you answered. Something has happened--" Cemile said, and her voice sounded panicked.

"Is my mother alright?" Zeynep asked, fear and guilt gripping her chest.

"Yes. Your mother and father are both fine. Don't worry about them. It's Mehdi," she said.

"Mehdi? What's happened to Mehdi?" Zeynep asked, worry creeping into her mind.

"Social services came and they took Kibrit and Yaldiz Ali," Cemile said.

"What? Why? Where did they take them? Where is Mehdi now?" Zeynep asked. Her heart broke for him; she knew how much he loved them, and how much they loved and depended on him. Kibrit must be distraught.

"Mehdi is at the garage. He won't talk to anyone or see anyone. I know you're not quite finished with school yet, but I thought maybe you would know where to start so we could get them back. Can you help him?" She paused. "No one knows I'm calling you. If you refuse, I understand, and no one else will know; I promise. I just don't think he'll recover from losing them and you," she said, and Zeynep heard her take a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. I know you've made your choice, but my brother is a good man, and those kids are everything to him. He doesn't deserve this, and neither do they. Please help him if you can, Zeynep."

"Cemile, of course I will do what I can. I know how they care for each other. I'm glad you called me. Don't worry, okay? I will go to him right now."

"Thank you so much, Zeynep. I think he's locked himself in. Nuh tried to get him to open the door, but he wouldn't. If you can come by the house first, I'll meet you outside and give you the spare key. Call me when you're here."

"Okay, I'll be in touch soon."

Cemile thanked her and ended the call. Zeynep asked the driver to turn around and take her back. He was irritated, but she ignored him. 

She put her ring back on her finger, and something in her mind clicked. She quickly called Faruk and told him she wasn't coming. He was angry, and she had to hang up on him as he continued to shout in her ear. He kept calling back, but she ignored his calls. She finally turned her phone off until she reached Mehdi's house. When she turned it on to let Cemile know she was there, she had 30 texts and 50 missed calls from Faruk. She'd have to deal with him later.

She picked up the key from Cemile, who hugged her tightly and thanked her profusely, and had the driver head to the garage.

When the taxi pulled up in front of the garage, she paid him and gave him a generous tip, despite his bad attitude. She guessed her generosity made him feel guilty, because he quickly got out of the car to help her with her bag. She thanked him and walked to the side door Cemile had told her about. She fit the key in the lock and turned it as quietly as possible. She didn't want him to know she was coming; she knew he'd raise his defenses. She stepped inside and set her suitcase down next to the door before slipping the key into her pocket and closing the door.

She saw a light coming from the office, and she walked toward it. As she got closer, she heard Mehdi quietly crying. He was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the office, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

She stood right in front of him. She knew he knew she was there, but he didn't look up. He was always so strong, she didn't think she'd ever see him this broken. Her chest tightened and tears sprang to her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She swiped at them quickly with her hand so he wouldn't see if he looked at her, and willed herself to stop crying. She wanted to be strong for him like he was for her.

Her hand reached out to him tentatively, and it hovered above his head for a moment before she finally allowed herself to touch him. She stroked his hair. "Mehdi, I'm here," she said. His hair was surprisingly soft, and she ran her fingers through it, trying to soothe him with her touch.

Without looking up at her, he wrapped his arms around her lower back and pulled her to him to bury his face in her stomach. Agonizing sobs wracked his body as he held onto her like a life preserver. "They're gone, Zeynep. You left, and they're gone," he said into her stomach, his words muffled. "I have to get them back. They need me--I have to get them back," he said, his sobs tearing at her heart.

She was crying again, and she didn't bother to hide it. She tightened the fingers of one hand in his hair, holding his head to her, and the other ran down to rub his back. "We will get them back, Mehdi. I promise you we will. I'm here."


End file.
